Elliott Smith

[Bright Moments]

Elliott Smith Case Not Closed

Wed Dec 31, 4:30 PM ET Add Entertainment - E! Online to My Yahoo!

By Josh Grossberg

Sad-song troubadour Elliott Smith was thought to have died by his own hand two months ago.

Now, those investigating the presumed suicide of the 34-year-old folk-rocker aren't so sure.

A statement issued this week by the Los Angeles County coroner has clouded the case, saying officials have been unable to determine whether Smith was the one who initiated the two "penetrating stab wounds" in his chest.

Therefore, an official cause of death has not yet been filed.

"Despite a comprehensive and ongoing inquiry into the death by the LAPD (news - web sites) detectives and coroner investigators together with a thorough examination by the coroner's pathologist, the mode of death remains 'undetermined' due to incomplete knowledge of the circumstances surrounding the death," the coroner's office said in a press statement.

The coroner says the wounds could have been inflicted either by Smith or a second party.

The body of the brooding singer-songwriter was discovered October 21 in the kitchen of his Los Angeles apartment.

Given Smith's history of drug and alcohol abuse and depression (he was once dubbed "the unhappiest man in the land" and his most famous song was "Miss Misery"), police initially declared the case a suicide. But toxicology tests showed no drugs in Smith's system and, with the coroner's most recent pronouncement, authorities say they plan to revisit the suicide theory.

The coroner's office will revisit the case should new information surface; until then, the file will remain open.

Smith rose through the indie ranks in the '90s with fragile melodies that stood in stark contract to the grunge, nu-metal and rap dominating radio.

He released his solo debut, Roman Candle, in 1994, and received critical acclaim for 1997's Either/Or.

Smith's music caught the attention of director Gus Van Sant, who included several of the singer's tracks on the Good Will Hunting Soundtrack (1997), the most popular of which, "Miss Misery," earned Smith a surprise Oscar nomination for Best Original Song.

His major-label debut, XO, was released the following year on DreamWorks Records.

In August, Smith released the vinyl single "Pretty (Ugly Before)" with the flip side, "A Distorted Reality Is Now a Necessity to Be Free." It was his first recorded work since the 2000 album, Figure 8.

[street singer]

Hmmm...

So he was stabbed twice? I hadn't heard that...

That alone leads me to believe that it was more than likely not a suicide. I mean, how many people could stab themselves in the chest once, much less twice?!

[7/4]

Hmmm...

So he was stabbed twice? I hadn't heard that...

That alone leads me to believe that it was more than likely not a suicide. I mean, how many people could stab themselves in the chest once, much less twice?!

They were in so much pain, they had to do it twice? Suicide is a desperate move....

[ghost of miles]

You can only imagine the uproar this is causing on the main Smith discussion board (Sweet Adeline). Some people have been positing murder all along, but very few, if any, knew that he'd received two stab wounds... which does make suicide seem less likely. No easy answers now, if indeed there ever were.

[doubleM]

The vibe at the Sweet Addy site seems to be one of relief. I think that to many people the inconclusive autopsy is somehow comforting. I don't get this... because it's not like anyone is ruling out suicide, and he's still dead. I hardly ever go over and look at those posts, as it's so self-referential and often hostile. Still awaiting the new cd, and playing his other ones frequently.

[Jazzmoose]

The vibe at the Sweet Addy site seems to be one of relief.

Sounds like a place to avoid at all costs. I tell you, I love these jazz boards (Organissimo, AAJ, Jazzcorner) and the music fans I've met here. It's such a relief to find people who are stable enough to enjoy an artists music without having to convince themselves that the artist is some sort of god...

[.:.impossible]

I think we've all had our suspicions as the story has unravelled. No controlled substances evident in his bloodstream, two stab wounds to the chest? Two important facts that cause further suspicion in my mind.

For a moment, this did seem like good news; however, in the end it is all arbitrary. He won't be writing any more music for us. Tragic.

Ghost, any other information from credible sources lately?

Thanks for this info Evan.

[ghost of miles]

The vibe at the Sweet Addy site seems to be one of relief. I think that to many people the inconclusive autopsy is somehow comforting. I don't get this... because it's not like anyone is ruling out suicide, and he's still dead. I hardly ever go over and look at those posts, as it's so self-referential and often hostile. Still awaiting the new cd, and playing his other ones frequently.

I don't know, it seems to me as if it's re-animated people's pain in some ways... I think people are relieved that he was "clean," and yes, in some way the idea that it was possibly murder rather than suicide makes people feel less--angry? At him?

The Sweet Addy board does tend to get a bit vitriolic at times, like most Internet forums--still, I think it's a nicer place than most, just ripped up because the artist around which it's centered has died. And Elliott Smith may be treated like a "god" there, to some extent, but I wonder how we would've treated Charlie Parker, had we been alive in 1948 with an Internet board. Clearly many people accorded Parker that reception, as they later did Coltrane... I would not say that jazz fandom has been immune from this particular kind of response by any means--and that Smith, for the so-called "emo" movement in music, was a kind of Parker figure as well.

[doubleM]

Good points, G.O.M.. I support people in their attempts to relieve pain. We all do it, in one way or another. I certainly am pained by the loss of Elliott, and while I look at the new info from is autopsy as interesting, I just want to "get over it" as quickly as possible...and I don't get any closure from looking at Sweet Adeline's death-related forums. I might check in for recordings and things that celebrate his life and music. I relate to the Parker comparisons, too. I've spent more hrs. listening to E.S. than probably any other artist over the last decade.

[.:.impossible]

I have purposely avoided that site for the same reason DoubleM. I logged in once or twice a while back and again after his death to read the dedications.

Ted Leo posted a nice dedication to Elliott on his site, dated Oct 22:

October 22, 2003

Almost ten years ago, my old band, Chisel, was on our first full US tour. Nothing west of Chicago was particularly well attended, but that never really gets me down -- I try to keep hopes up but expectations low. Anyway, what was getting me down, was a certain lack of respect I was often feeling from people in a lot of places, which reached a real boiling point in Portland, Or., at a place called the "O," where we were being treated less than kindly by the promoter. It was summer, and very very hot inside the club. We attracted about 20 people that night, and played a pretty ripping set, if I remember correctly, during which I asked the promoter if I could have one of the 7-Ups he was selling for a quarter each from a cooler at the back of the room. He said, "For a quarter!" I thought he was joking, but he wasn't. I sputtered through the sweat dripping down my face and across my mouth, "Well... Can't I pay you after we're done playing? Can't you take it out of our pay?" He just stared at me, then made some quip about, "What pay?" Which, since we'd only drawn 20 people, was a legitimate question, granted, but I was kind of dumbfounded -- I couldn't believe that he was going to not only NOT offer me a soda for busting my ass on stage, but was going to embarrass me in this way in front of an audience that was actually there to see us as well. I had a serious existential crisis at that moment. What the fuck am I doing here? Why am I giving it up in this way every night? Why are people so petty in their power struggles? Is this all there is? Just then, a person stepped out from the 20 person crowd, put a quarter in the promoter's hand, and walked the soda up to me on stage.

It's largely due to that small gesture that I'm still playing music today, and in years to come, I got to know that person better, and count him as a friend. That person was Eliot Smith. And though I know he's now free from the very real demons that were gnawing at him... Man, I think I'm going to miss him very very much. My love to his other friends and family, and my love to you all. Spare a thought for Eliot today.

[doubleM]

Good story.

[ghost of miles]

Ghost, any other information from credible sources lately?

New article from L.A. Weekly. It's basically an account of what Jennifer Chiba (Elliott's girlfriend) told the police:

The Final Moments of Elliott Smith’s Life

Autopsy reveals details of argument with girlfriend

by Christine Pelisek 

Moments before he died, singer Elliott Smith argued with his live-in girlfriend, who said she found him screaming outside the bathroom door of their Echo Park apartment, with an 8-inch kitchen knife stuck in his chest, according to an autopsy report.

The report, released this week by the L.A County Coroner’s Office, reveals new details about the investigation into the death of the 34-year-old musician, who died October 21 from two stab wounds at the Lemoyne Street home. Coroner’s officials said last week that they couldn’t determine whether Smith committed suicide or was the victim of homicide.

According to the January 6 report, Smith’s girlfriend, Jennifer Chiba, told police that she and Smith were arguing when she locked herself in the bathroom. She said she heard Smith scream, opened the bathroom door and found him standing with his back to her. When he turned around, she told police, she saw the kitchen knife in his chest. She said he was standing up, conscious and gasping for breath. She told police that she pulled the knife out of his chest and saw "two cuts" before he walked away and collapsed.

She called 911 at 12:18 p.m. and performed CPR and first aid with a dispatcher’s help until paramedics arrived. Smith died at County-USC Medical Center 78 minutes later.

Police officers arrived and questioned Chiba, who was seated at the kitchen table. Detectives reported that she pointed out a Post-it note that appeared to be a suicide note left on the table. The note said: "I’m so sorry — love, Elliot God forgive me." Chiba told police that it was in Smith’s handwriting. The girlfriend could not be reached for comment.

LAPD Homicide Detective Jay King would not comment on the investigation and would say only that the case is still open.

Smith’s body had bruises on the right elbow and what appeared to be older marks on his right arm, left thigh and along his left shin. No track marks or cut marks were found on his wrists.

Deputy Medical Examiner Lisa Scheinin, in the autopsy report, wrote that Smith had a history of depression and that the wounds appeared to be consistent with suicide. However, she found that "several aspects of the circumstances (as are known at this time) are atypical of suicide and raise the possibility of homicide. These include the absence of hesitation wounds, stabbing through clothing, and the presence of small incised wounds on the right arm and left hand (possible defensive wounds)."

Coroner’s investigators also raised questions about the actions of Chiba, and why she removed the knife. "Detectives believe that this death is possibly suspicious, however, the circumstances are unclear at this time," according to the report.

The singer, who was born Steven Paul Smith, had been battling depression, drugs and alcohol for years, and had attempted suicide in 1997. Chiba told police that Smith often talked about committing suicide and had a history of addictions, including heroin, crack and alcohol. She said Smith engaged in self-mutilating behavior and would burn himself with cigarettes. Chiba told authorities that Smith had been drug-free for one year.

The coroner found no traces of illegal substances or alcohol in his system. The coroner did find prescribed levels of antidepressant and attention-deficit-hyperactivity-disorder medications in his system, including clonazepam, mirtazapine, atomozetine and amphetamine (the latter a byproduct of metabolizing the drugs).

Smith was born August 6, 1969, in Omaha, Nebraska, and began his career in Portland, Oregon, where he played in a punk rock band called Heatmiser. In 1994, he released his first album, Roman Candle, and later signed with DreamWorks, putting out XO in 1998 and Figure 8 in 2000. In 1998, Smith was nominated for an Oscar for best original song for "Miss Misery," from the soundtrack to Good Will Hunting. At the time of his death, Smith was working on his sixth album, known by its working title, A Basement on the Hill.

[doubleM]

The Smoking Gun has a 5 page report of this today , plus the medical examiners' report.

[BERIGAN]

You know, perhaps I have seen too many Quincys and Crossing Jordans in my day, but wouldn't you think it would be pretty easy to tell the difference in stab wounds that were self inflicted(It would seem to me they would be horizontal) verses someone else coming at you with a knife that was vertical? Plus, I would think someone else plunging the knife would go deeper than you doing it yourself....